Insert soap opera pun in title (A Breath Of Fresh Attire: Parental Advisory - The Mitchell Brothers)

Member Name: freediveheaven

Product:	A Breath Of Fresh Attire: Parental Advisory - The Mitchell Brothers
Date:	31/12/08 (417 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good clear lyrics and variety

Disadvantages: Some bad language which is excessive

I bought this album by garage rap act The Mitchell Brothers based on the fact that it was produced by The Beats, which is Mike Skinner from The Streets and Ted Mayhem, and a couple of listens on Youtube that were promising. There is a whole story about how they first came to the attention of Mike Skinner the lead singer and writer of The Streets and this is alluded to on the CD sleeve. The two London based singers that make up the band, Teddy and Tony are not actually brothers but cousins, I guess The Mitchell Cousins for a name just does not get to cash in on the better known Mitchell Brothers from Eastenders and to be honest the two squabble like siblings on some of the tracks.

Overall this is a pretty good album, after only a couple of listens it certainly felt very familiar, there is a good amount of variation in the styles used, you can see a strong Streets influence and Skinner provides some of the lyrics on a couple of the tracks and there are guest appearances from other artists who have been linked with the Streets stable as well as others. What I like is that the lyrics are really clear delivered in a strong North East London accent and you can divide the themes up into sibling arguments, street life for black youths and finally a little bit of romance. There are no Skits which are a plus but a lot of the tracks do have a talking intro to them, sometimes this works other times it is just annoying.

The arguing actually starts on the opening track. Personally I would not have chosen this for an opening track as it almost switched me off from the start. I do not mind the occasional bit of bad language in a song but in this track it is over the top, even the title F*k me? F*ck you! (actual spelling on the sleeve) sets the scene and it goes on to use pretty much every swear word going including the C word. A simple snare drum beats lends itself to the lyrics dominating but this is not a track worth dwelling on.

The urban youth theme is strong on this album and there are a four excellent tracks which both boast strong relentless rhythms backing up strong fast paced lyrics, Routine check is all about stop and search, the chorus in this album has a real force to it that builds up the momentum to the angry choruses that tell a story from different vocalists including Kano and Skinner, in fact Skinner gives the white version of police contact which has a totally different feel to it. G.O.R.G.I.E. is all about signing on the dole, it has an annoying bit of talking at the start but once the driving drum beat kicks in with some good synth music as well it works as a track, the harmonies in the chorus are great and the lyrics really do flow on this track.

Someone can't look us in the Eye has an almost military drum beat to it which is matched with a piece of high pitched, opera style, vocals as the hook, this is another story telling song about the tracking down of a police snitch, not a great track but a little different in style. Wish I did the Same is not a track to listen to if you have a daughter as it displays a pretty casual attitude to sex and is quite graphic in content especially in the opening segment, despite this it has a superb sample to it with a strong Moorish vibe running through the track, I like the mixing on this song and the lyrics are quite funny in places, I can imagine this being very popular live as it has a great beat running through it.

I have said already that I like the range on this album and the slower tracks work really well. Alone with the TV would be my favourite as it has a super bit of vocals in the chorus from Chyna who has a wonderfully powerful voice. I say "would" because I have never understood the fascination with speeded up vocals in the Akon style and this track has one of those annoying samples that run constantly beneath the main vocals alongside a single beat synth drum. Despite this the vocals are excellent and Chynas' chorus remains in my head all day when I hear it. She's Got it all Wrong has a nice piano intro and reminds me of a few slower Streets tracks, this is a nice soulful song with some Mike Skinner vocals mixed in that just emphasises his influence. The keep the laid back vibe on this track it ends with a great guitar solo as well.


The sibling squabbling theme also makes an appearance later on in the album, When the Whistle Blows is a weak track about football that has little to offer except for a mildly amusing intro as the two cousins argue, Excuse my Brother is a much better song with a few bits of vocals from Skinner, a long track at over five minutes (one of three of this length) is beat about drinking too much and getting into fights, the lyrics are excellent and really sharp, the under lying sample is another strong eight beat sound that builds momentum throughout the song.

There are a couple of weak tracks on this album, Harvey Nicks does not really work for me and tracks like Smart B*stard and Don't Try this at Home are both ok but not very memorable in content or sound.

As a debut album this is pretty good, it is a bit removed from my normal listening material but I enjoyed the album and it lasted for a good three months in the car stereo before heading off to gather dust on the shelves however I still listen to it in the gym on my i-pod every so often. There is a nice range and some clever lyrics; most importantly the lyrics are easy to understand and very clear, it will be interesting to see how they progress with their second album that was released in 2007 and one I'm yet to listen to.

If you want to buy then this album is available on Amazon for £8.98 new or from £3.24 in the new and used section. For a full track list check out the description tab at the top of the page.

Thanks for reading and rating my review and a Happy New Year.

Summary: Garage rap album.